Alexandra Vallet: Biomechanical approach to brain ageing

Registration Link: https://nettskjema.no/a/167852 

Abstract: Frailty is a multi-system dysregulation leading to a loss of physiological reserve known to predict dementia. However, its link with neurodegenerative alterations of the central nervous system (CNS) is not well understood at present. We investigated the association between the biomechanical response of the CNS and frailty in older adults suspected of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) presenting markers of multiple comorbid neurodegenerative pathologies, including pathologies of Alzheimer’s Disease. The biomechanical response of the CNS was characterized from phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging and intracranial pressure monitoring during a lumbar infusion test. Frailty was assessed with an index of health deficit accumulation. We found a significant association between the CNS biomechanical response and frailty, with an effect size comparable to that between frailty and age, the latter being the strongest known risk factor of frailty. The CNS biomechanical characterization may help to understand how frailty is related to neurodegeneration and detect the shift from normal to pathological brain ageing.

This talk is part of the Mechanics Lunch Seminar series. That means 20min talks plus discussion in an informal setting.